COUNTY looked like they had snatched a 94th minute winner to end a thrilling contest - only for Inverness to rampage up the park and level with the last kick of the ball.

NEVER mind El Clasico. Who wouldn’t want another 90 minutes of El Kessocko?

After a staggering first-ever Scottish Cup Highland derby, the teams will have to take it back over the Kessock Bridge and go at it again a week on Tuesday.

And no-one – with the exception of County boss Derek Adams – was complaining.

In a game that turned the Global Energy Stadium nuclear, he could only watch in agony at the end.

Twice his side came from behind before scoring what looked like an incredible 94th-minute winner.

Only for Caley Thistle’s Richie Foran to net an even more dramatic leveller in the FIFTH minute of injury time.

To be fair, it felt like some kind of justice for the fans that two sides who had matched each other blow for blow will go toe to toe for the honours again.

Two wonder-strikes from Billy McKay and Rocco Quinn, two deflected flukes from Foran and Iain Vigurs, two set pieces from Richie Brittain and finally Foran.

ICT substitute Philip Roberts (centre) gets the final touch as the ball finds the net for a late equaliser

But Adams struggled to hide his bitterness, claiming Inverness’ second goal was offside and the final blow came 75 seconds over the three minutes that fourth official Alan Muir had held up at the end of normal time.

This despite the fact that a sub had come on and a goal had been scored and celebrated in the time added on.

Adams sighed: “Foran was offside when the ball hit off him to give Thistle a 2-1 lead. It shouldn’t have stood.

“We did well to get back to 3-2 then they score after the end of the allotted injury time. They’ve gone over the three minutes on the board. We thought we had won – but that’s the way it goes.

“We didn’t do as well as them in the first half but created better chances in the second half. Over the piece we deserved to go through.

“But we’re not – and now we have to go to their place for a replay.”

After their first-half performance, you’d never have believed County had a replay in them. They were on the back foot from the first minute while Inverness were right back in the groove that had seen them beat Celtic and Aberdeen inside the previous week.

Both sides went old school with their 4-4-2 line-ups and it is clear why Terry Butcher’s men look so settled as a team – everyone knows their job, they put square pegs in square holes and it simply works.

Never more so than the opener. Aaron Doran’s deep free-kick was won by Foran and McKay’s finish was a thing of beauty, picking his spot with his left foot and guiding the ball in to the top corner.

It was reward for the away side’s superiority. Behind the goals, their fans celebrated with a rousing chorus of “The Highlands are ours”.

Still, the Staggies have been nothing if not resilient in the SPL and they nearly pulled level in a stunning 30-second spell of play at both ends right before the break.

Brittain’s vicious inswinging free-kick from the left was beaten out at his near post by Antonio Reguero and Sam Morrow’s follow up was cleared off the line by Foran.

Within seconds, Mihael Kovacevic was having to do the same on the other goal-line, McKay having rounded Mark Brown to finish off an incredible box-to-box break.

Adams’ side suddenly had a taste for it – and they fed off it the minute they came back out for the second half.

They played the game higher up the park, got the ball wide and forward faster, piled on the pressure – and within three minutes they were level with another absolute stunner.

Quinn had cleverly peeled away to give himself space on the edge of the box. He met Kovacevic’s cutback with a spin and Reguero had no chance as the ball sailed over him and in the far top corner.

After the week they’d had it felt like Caley Thistle had finally hit the wall. County pounded them and Stuart Kettlewell looked like he’d made it 2-1, meeting Brittain’s delivery with a great late run.

His looping header beat the Spanish keeper but skipped inches wide. But just when you though there was no turning back the tide, Butcher’s men found a second wind.

And former Inverness keeper Brown soon found himself helpless when he dived the wrong way as McKay’s shot took a wicked deflection off Foran’s face in 73 minutes.

The pendulum seemed to have swung back to Inverness – but another former Caley man got it moving again in the other direction.